When I was with the UN in MINURSO in and around Al'Layoune in Morocco, Mauritania and Algeria, we were ensuring that the Moroccan government and the Polisario (the military front of the nomadic people of NW Africa) weren't breaking the cease fire agreement.

We had Nissan Patrols as our vehicles.

One day we were going out to investigate a Polisario site in the desert, and because of this we were not allowed to use our GPS systems. We drove about two hundred miles with a Polisario guide. We were doing upwards of 80 mph and he would see a sand dune he recognised and have us correct slightly left or right, or see a tree and have us correct off that ... amazing really, nothing to go off but ever changing landmarks and the sun.

Anyway, we finally got to where we were going, and what is there, but half a dozen desert camouflaged Russian T-54's. They were so pround of them, climbing over the top, kids hanging off the main armament ... awesome.

Of course, those six would not have lasted long at all against the Moroccan military, but to see some real working World War II era tanks was simple amazing. I wish I still had all my photos of them (they went with the house and all my other stuff to my first wife ...)

Here is a link to a T54 below ... but they weren't in this good a condition

Cars, IFVs and the like can get a lot done in a firefight, but there's nothing like real tanks for direct fire support, let alone assaulting and breaching through an entrenched position. That was their original purpose and it remains a big part of their job - never let video games and their habit of making heavy (and reliably effective) anti-tank weapons abundantly available the instant a tank shows up trick you into thinking they're easily dispatched; they're tough blighters, packing considerable firepower, and tankers I've talked to pride themselves on how well they can move about unseen by the enemy.

Mind you I'm typing as an armchair expert. If you won't believe me, take the sporadic procurement of replacement tanks by armies in combat zones as a clue - they do lose them (nothing's invincible) and they still need tanks regardless. Back to zee pics!

Since we're talking about 'em, T54/55 is today's theme.

Above with external long range tanks. They can jettison these at will, IIRC. Russian tanks have astonishingly long range on a full set of tanks - about double the norm, in fact. I'd guess this is because Russia is a huge country, so they consider it fairly important. Note the WW2-era American Stuart light tank in front of it - amazing to see that old banger in the middle east!

Above, recent change of ownership. It's in Iraq.

Above, some guys get all the breaks. Nice place to be patrolling hey?

Above, nice cutaway. Someone with big welders and tins of red paint has this set up in Parola tank museum. Gives a rare look inside of one.

Pretty simple way to stow the ready shots... big shells, eh? One guy loads those. More modern tanks shoot even bigger ones.

I always thought the upside-down soup bowl turret was a smart move defensively, nice and deflective, but i hear they're head-bumping cramped inside. Oh well. She's an old girl now in any case in her second half-century of service world wide.

This tank was likely to have been a common adversary of the T54/55 should war have broken out, and served widely in the brushfire wars that cropped up in the mean time. They're highly regarded as the first tank Britain got really right in WW2, albeit right at the end of the war. Most of these pictures are of Australian Centurions, as our country imported a lot of 'em from Britain after the war to replace the Shermans.

^ Beside it's grandfather, the Churchill infantry tank. Quite the improvement, but I'll always like the menacing look of the old one.

^ Centurion in Vietnam. Many of them served there.

^ Interesting cutaway, supposedly of a Centurion. I'm not entirely sure that's true, but the dummy inside it has a British tanker's black beret.
**The welding on that cutaway job is clean! Very nice job.

^ Late model Centurion, looks like a night optics kit on the mantlet (coaxial to the gun).

Sticking with the Aussie flavour, I've included some piccies of Australia's old Leopard I's and it's replacement, US Abrams.

The old Leopard 1 -- they were all given away (decommissioned of course) to various Military Museums and Organisations in Oz for free.

Out with the Old, in with the New -- a Leopard 1 and it's newly arrived replacement (fresh off the boat) Abrams.

Another ex-Pat American in AusCam -- an M113 (what we used to ride around in the back of on Exercise or hope they didn't sink when doing Amphibious landings -- notice the Pink in the AusCam, it's because most of the roads and outback have a pinky hue in Australia

How can you tell it's really an Aussie Tank ???? Look for the Big Red Boomer on the turret of course ...

An Abram (called a Chauvel in OZ) in it's pretty AusCam ...

Also, this about the painting of the Australian Abrams tanks with AusCam ...

‘EXTREME MAKEOVER’
May 17, 2010

Three years after their arrival in Australia – the American built Abrams tanks are getting an extreme makeover .. Australian Army style.

Australian Abrams Tank

“We do like a Leonardo De Vinci style thing, we have a picture in one hand and a spray gun in the other” – says Peter Boscato, owner of Boscato Panel Works who won the million dollar plus contact to paint the 41 Abrams tanks based at Darwin’s Robertson Barracks.

Only eight Aussie Abrams tanks have been painted in the Australian bush camoflauge design so far, covering over the original American sandy desert colour. If there was any doubt, ‘Tankies’ at the First Armoured Regiment agree it finally makes the Abrams’ – our tank.

“It’s fantastic that they are getting painted in the Australian camouflage” according to Captain Bec Marlow. She says “The guys definitely feel they’re their tanks now.”

'An extreme makeover underway'

Peter Boscato – estimates it takes 120 hours or three days hard ‘yacca’ to rub back, wash and then spray an Abrams in a high tech infra red reflective paint. First two grey undercoats are applied – then a bush green, followed by a sprayed free-hand uniquely designed Australian camoflage. Painting Australian Army tank’s has become a family tradition for the Boscato’s. Peter’s father spray painted the former frontline Leopard tanks when they arrived in Darwin back in the 1980′s.

“The soldier’s are all very happy. It makes them stand out in the crowd, they don’t look like American’s anymore. You can tell the tanks are Australian” said Mr Boscato.